The iPad is not a laptop replacement, yet

I've read a lot of blog posts lately about people who use their iPad as their main computer. Most of them make it sound so appealing to drop the heavy laptop in favor of the 1.5 lbs device that can do everything you need to do. It has built in wireless and cellular, is light weight, has long battery life, and can do most of the essential things you need a mobile device to do. On the surface it seems like the perfect solution, until you try it. I found it frustrating to say the least.

For my experiment I tried a couple of keyboards with my iPad. First I tried the Apple Wireless Keyboard with the Origami case. It seemed like the perfect solution for me because I could use the iPad as a tablet and also connect it to the keyboard when I needed to. It also allowed me to keep my protective back cover on my iPad. The Apple keyboard allowed me to type just as proficiently as I do on my desktop. After all, it's the same keyboard that I use at my desk.

I also tried the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover. The Logitech keyboard is smaller so typing wasn't as easy. It was doable, but clearly not as comfortable as the Apple keyboard. The Logitech had several iPad specific keys like a Home key, Search key, etc. That was a huge plus! The Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover is also the only case that I know of that doubles as a Smart Cover for the iPad. It was nice to be able to pick up one device (iPad and keyboard connected together) and throw it in the bag.

I have no real complaints about either setup, but I chose the Apple Wireless Keyboard and the Origami case.

I setup shop at a table at the club where I workout every day. I loaded Pages and started typing away. It seemed so nice to be able to type just as fast on the iPad as I could on my desktop or MacBook Air. I was sold, so I thought.

I quickly realized that the real issue for me was navigation. While some of the keyboard shortcuts I am used to work on the iPad, others do not. Things like Command + C for copying, or Shift + Command + Arrows to select an entire line work just find, but other shortcuts do not work. For example, in order to make a correction in Pages you have to either arrow your way to the problem area, or tap the screen with your finger hoping you'll hit the right spot. If you don't get it just right you have to use the arrows, or move your finger around until you get the magnifying glass, then navigate to the area you want. These solutions are okay in a pinch, but trying to use them all the time is a hassle. A mouse or trackpad would be MUCH faster. Having to raise my hand up to touch the screen not only takes longer, it's not as comfortable as using a mouse or trackpad. Apple should give us a mouse driver to solve this issue. I know it goes against their idea of what the iPad was meant to be, but it would go a long way towards being able to replace my laptop with an iPad.

I also found that the Delete key worked like my desktop's Delete key, but not if I used Function + Delete. I could only use Delete as a backspace and could not delete letters to the right of my cursor.

Another big issues for me was not having access to the file system. I wonít run down every single scenario where one might need access to the file system, but if youíre a pro user youíre going to need it. Simple things like renaming a photo before uploading it requires multiple third party apps. Itís just a hassle.

One of the benefits of the iPad is that it doesn't multitask well, so you are not as distracted as you would be on your desktop. Writing in Pages is surprisingly nice due to its full screen experience with no distractions. But that benefit can quickly turn into a hindrance when you need to switch apps quickly. Often times while I'm blogging I'm switching between the article I'm writing and some other app. Perhaps I'm commenting on an article, or editing a photo. Either way, switching back and forth on the iPad is not as easy as it is on my Mac. Some kind of shortcut like an Alt + Tab or Command + Tab would be better.

Browsing the web works decently well on the iPad, but if you have your iPad setup on a keyboard stand, you have to use your fingers to scroll around. This means lifting your hand up to the screen. Again, a navigation issue that makes me miss my MacBook Air.

I use Terminal on my Mac a lot to SSH into my server. I've tried several Terminal apps on the iPad and believe it or not, the results have been inconsistent. Sometimes I've logged into my server and typed a command only to watch as nothing happened. They all seem sluggish and half baked. I'm still not sure what is going on there.

I really wish the iPad could run a video in the background. There have been a few times when I've been watching a Netflix video and an important email came in. I wanted to switch to the email while still listening to the video, but that's not possible.

I could probably use the iPad exclusively for a quick overnight trip. However, anything longer than a day or so would still require me to take my laptop. Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but I think the iPad has a way to go before it can be my primary computer.

After several days of using the iPad as my primary computer I realized that what I was MacBook Air with really good battery life. Will that ever happen? Will Apple merge iOS and OS X to make one mobile device that a novice and pro can use? Maybe. Until then, I'm sticking with my MacBook Air and my iPhone.